Office of Equity and Inclusion - Bah Humbug

[squibber]

I'm really upset by the firing of my boss today. He was the Director of Dining Operations at a local University.  He patiently waited in the wings for the Director job for several years and he got his promotion last year.

We use an outside food service contractor to manage the dining program as far as ordering food, supplies and managing the University's union workers. The food contractor onsite managers were not pleased with the promotion because my boss is unhappy with their performance and felt they overcharge the school on food and supplies. My boss did some digging to find replacement vendors for the near future. I will call the current company Company X.

Company X knows my boss is a bit of a jokester and says things to get a laugh. Company X knows that.  They came up with a plan to save their jobs. They filed a harrassment greivance with the school's Office of Equity and Inclusion stating my boss made them uncomfortable. I was present at two of the incidents as well as a Company X manager so I was interviewed by an investigator.

They were friendly digs aimed at me. They were benign. Nothing bad. We do that at each other. When my boss made those two jokes, I laughed and was not offended at all. During the interview I told them I was not offended in the least. I received an email 4 months ago from the investigator that the case is now closed.  My boss told me that his boss is on his side and he knows what Company X managers on campus are trying to pull.

Well this morning two security guards escorted him off the campus for good. His career and reputation may be over. I can't believe the school and the Office of Equity and Inclusion came to this decision. Are they trying to make an example of my boss? I don't know. Are they without courage? I don't know.  The threshold for dismissal should be much higher than this.

[Ed Vette]

Could he have been fired for another reason such as impropriety? You don't know, do you? Have you talked with him since? To have security escort a Director out the door seems to be extreme.

[Bob In PA]

squib: Merit is second or third on the list of priorities for some people.

Just hope the pilot on my next plane flight was not hired with the thought that the airline HAD to check a box.

I'm constantly reminded of Dr. King's brilliant statement that (I will generalize it) people should be judged by their content of their character and personal accomplishments rather than by extraneous factors which are beyond their control.  In other words, like those who play the hand God dealt them to the best of their ability.

Bob

[MightyGiants]

I'm really upset by the firing of my boss today. He was the Director of Dining Operations at a local University.  He patiently waited in the wings for the Director job for several years and he got his promotion last year.

We use an outside food service contractor to manage the dining program as far as ordering food, supplies and managing the University's union workers. The food contractor onsite managers were not pleased with the promotion because my boss is unhappy with their performance and felt they overcharge the school on food and supplies. My boss did some digging to find replacement vendors for the near future. I will call the current company Company X.

Company X knows my boss is a bit of a jokester and says things to get a laugh. Company X knows that.  They came up with a plan to save their jobs. They filed a harrassment greivance with the school's Office of Equity and Inclusion stating my boss made them uncomfortable. I was present at two of the incidents as well as a Company X manager so I was interviewed by an investigator.

They were friendly digs aimed at me. They were benign. Nothing bad. We do that at each other. When my boss made those two jokes, I laughed and was not offended at all. During the interview I told them I was not offended in the least. I received an email 4 months ago from the investigator that the case is now closed.  My boss told me that his boss is on his side and he knows what Company X managers on campus are trying to pull.

Well this morning two security guards escorted him off the campus for good. His career and reputation may be over. I can't believe the school and the Office of Equity and Inclusion came to this decision. Are they trying to make an example of my boss? I don't know. Are they without courage? I don't know.  The threshold for dismissal should be much higher than this.

Times have changed.  Managers need to be extremely careful in terms of what they say and who they say it to (as well as who hears what they say).  Unless you really trust everyone present, it's best to avoid humor that involves digs, regardless of the targets.  I would have to say (admittedly with only the limited details you provided) that he was ill-advised to be joking in meetings with the venders, especially as he had made it known to them he was unhappy with them and was looking to replace them.   In situations like that, it's wise to stick to only business dealings with them.

[squibber]

Could he have been fired for another reason such as impropriety? You don't know, do you? Have you talked with him since? To have security escort a Director out the door seems to be extreme.

Ed, I don't know all the reasons. I worked with him for 10 years and he never flirted or made sexual overtures towards women as far as I can tell.

I just learned he has 15 days to appeal and he plans on getting a lawyer.

[LennG]

Squib

I only use this as an example, but in these times (today) if you even look at someone the wrong way, maybe take a quick glance at a pretty woman, you never know who is watching, and you could end up being sued or fired for some harmless look.
My point is, that people are just too overly sensitive these days. A passing joke, or an aside made to a friend can be interpreted in an entirely different way. On paper, as you are saying, it seems harmless enough, and getting fired for it seems overly harsh, but you also don't know the entire story, just one side.

Things like this happen all the time lately. It is sad, but it is also a sign of the times.

Just a side note--my wife worked in what would be called a minority school. One day, in an open hallway she was talking to another teacher about a show she saw the night before about a courageous Black family. Someone overheard her use just the term Black woman and thought they heard something different. My wife was almost fired because of this. Sometimes people don't hear things right, or out of context and think something else. My wife was cleared when the entire story did come out, but she had to go before the entire school board with a union lawyer to be absolved of this, especially when she did absolutely nothing wrong.

[Ed Vette]

Ed, I don't know all the reasons. I worked with him for 10 years and he never flirted or made sexual overtures towards women as far as I can tell.

I just learned he has 15 days to appeal and he plans on getting a lawyer.

Lenn makes a good point. You only know your point of view. He may have said something inappropriate to a woman or minority on more than one occasion. Or like I said, there could be another procuring cause you are not aware of. Does security walk out every employee that gets fired? Why didn't they offer him a settlement with a DND? All questions that come to mind. They closed the case four months ago as you said and then after all that time passed they had to open it up again.